SPECTRAL ANALYSIS OF MAGNETIC FLUCTUATIONS AT PROTON SCALES FROM FAST TO SLOW SOLAR WIND

This Letter investigates the spectral characteristics of interplanetary magnetic field fluctuations at proton scales during several time intervals chosen along the speed profile of a fast stream. The character of the fluctuations within the first frequency decade, beyond the high-frequency break located between the fluid and kinetic regimes, strongly depends on the type of wind. While the fast wind shows a clear signature of both right-handed and left-handed polarized fluctuations, possibly associated with Kinetic Alfven Wave (KAW) and ion-cyclotron waves, respectively, the rarefaction region, where the wind speed and the Alfvenicity of low-frequency fluctuations decrease, shows a rapid disappearance of the ion-cyclotron signature followed by a more gradual disappearance of KAWs. Moreover, the power associated with perpendicular and parallel fluctuations also experiences rapid depletion, however, retaining the power anisotropy in favor of the perpendicular spectrum.